Rotary engine.



No.'889,875. I PATENTED JUNE 2, 1908.

' v I J. K. GERRIGH.

ROTARY ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED 0013b. 1907 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Svwzn lion No. 889,875. PATENTED JUNE 2, 1908.

. J. K. GERRIGH.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

i is to provide a motor in whi 1 the tqj -in the followin UNITED STATESPATENT OFFICE.

JOHN K TGERRIGH, OF HANOVER, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TOMILLER, OF HANOVER, PENNSYLVANIA.

. ROTARY ENGINE.

Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed October 30, 1907.Serial No. 399,842.

I'atented June 2, 1908.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN K. GERRIOH, a

citizen ofthe United States, residing at Han-.

gines, of which the following is a specificationr I v The presentinvention relates to improvements in steam motors of that type in which"the rotor is provided with abutments de- Isilgned to cooperate withslidably mounted et valves, and the object 3f the invention power of thesteam may belutilize in the most economical manner.

The invention further contemplates a steam motor which will run at auniform speed and which is extremely sensitive so t at the speed andpower can be controlled as may be required by suitably increasing ordecreasing the steam sup ly.

' For a full description 0? the invention and the merits thereof andalso .to acquire a knowledge of the details of construction and themeans for eflecting the result, reference is to be had to the followingdescriptionand accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is alongitudinal sectional view through themotor. Fig. 2 is a transversesectional view through .the same. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of theupper portion of the motor showing the valve operating mechanism; Fig. 4is a detail view of one of the plug valves. Fig. 5 is a' sectional viewthrough one of the slide valves. Fig. 6 is a similar view through the oposite slide valve. Fi 7 is a sectional view t rough one of the SH evalves on a plane at right angles to'that of the preceding figure. 1Corresponding and like parts are referred description and indicated inall the views 0 the drawings by the same reference characters.

Referring to the drawings the numeral 1 designates the casing of thesteam motor, the said casing being formed with a cylindrical chamber 2having one end thereof closed by a removable late 3. Journaled withinthe casing 1 is a s aft 4 and rigid with this shaft is a rotor 5designed to rotate within the cylindrical chamber 2. An annular flange 6is located at each end of the rotor 5, the endsof the flanges looselyengaging the interlor walls of the chamber 2, while the body poreXansive less than that of the chamber 2. Projecting from the periphery ofthe rotor 5 at 'suitable intervals are the abutments 7 which in thepresent instance are shown as formed of separate tor. Each face. and acam face 8, a sprin 'radia face soas to bear yieldingly against thewalls of the chamber 2 and form a steam tight joint with the same... Atransverse o ening is shown as extending through each 0 the abutments 7and arranged within these openings are the springs 10 opposite ends of i11 arranged at opposite.- ends 0 the rotor so as to receive therewithand form a steam tight joint between the rotor and the walls of thechamber. Surrounding these packing -rin s 11 are the outer acking rings12 carrie by the casing 1, tl ie said packing rings being spring)pressed against the rotor" and engaging ra beted portions of the flanges6 projecting from the rotor.

, Recesses 13 are formed at opposite ends the slide valves 14. Each ofthese slide valves is formed with a transversely disposed flattened head15 designed to reject within the chamber 2 and bear yiel ingly againstthe rotor 5', and also with a stem 16 passing loosely through a plate 17closing the recess 13 and capped by a nut 18. The body portion of theslide valves 14 are shown in the present instance as of cylindricalshape and are slidably mounted within the valve chambers 13, a plate 19being located at each end the escape of the steam around the outlets.

. A steam passage 21 is formed in each of the slide valves 14, one endof the passage opening upononeside of the head 15 while the opposite endopens upon one side of the cylindrical body portion of the valve.Interposed between each of the slide valves 14 and the late 17 closingthe mouth of the valve chamer'is a coil s ring 22 surrounding the stem16 and norma ly operating to hold the head of the valve in a yieldingengagementwith the rotor. It may be here mentioned that the outer of thestem operates freely enonenw.

tion of the rotor has a diameter somewhat of the body portion of thevalveand the edges pieces and dovetailed to there-Q of these abutments 7has a'radial'.

actuated plun er 9' being slidably mounte upon the.

hich bear against the ackmg rings I of the casing 1 and constitutechambers for v within a hollow ea 23 arranged over the plate 17 and thattie said stem cooperates of the passages 24 is controlled by a rotatingplug valve 27, the said. plugs being ta ered and spring pressed inwardlyso as to a ways form a tight joint. The journal at the outer end of eachof the plug valves 27 passes loosely through a nut 28 threaded withinthe mouth of the opening for receiving the valve and is provided with acrank 29 connected by a link 30 to an eccentric portion of a disk 31rotatably mounted upon the exterior of the casing 1'. As shown in thedrawings the springs 32 are interposed between the nuts 28 and theplugvalves 27 and tend to normally force the same inwardly and to hold themfirmly upon their seats. An operating rod 33 is also connectedeccentricallyto the disk 31 and is designed to 006 )erate with agovernor or throttle-lever 0' any conventional construction foroperating the two plug valves 27 and controlling the admission of steamfrom the steam chamber to the slide valves.

An annular exhaust chamber 34 is located at one sideof-the casing andcommunicates with the cylindrical chain her 2 wi thinthe casing throughthe exhaust ports 35, one ol'the exhaust ports being provided for eachof the slide valves 1 1. [l l'ound desirable it will be readily apparentthat one of these exhaust chambers can also be p'laccd upon the oppositeside ol' the casing and a' steam jacket thereby provided upon both sidesof the motor.

The heads 1?) ol. the slide valves 14 have the extremities thereofprovided. witlrthe. packing members Z-lti which are spring pressedtoward the rotor and serve to take u the wear and to produce a tightjoint wit 1 the rotor. in a similar manner the head of each ol' theslide valves is provided at its two ends with spring pressed packingmembers 557 opcrating in an identical manner; 1 I

in the operation ol' hc motor the ro or 5 is designed. to rm'olve it.the direction indicated by the arrows upon the drawing and as the same rvolves the cam laccs N ol the abutmcnts thereon are brought successiv lyinto engagement with the slide valves l l so as to inove the sameinwardly. When the valves thus l oru'tl back the steam pa sages th r inare Ilium u out of rcni li ll llllH steam l)7i.-tl. l,- 1.? in thecu..-4in ',1j and the sup :1. ol' steam c-onplolclv hul oll', .\s soon Incvcr as ihc abutment has |no\cd beyond slide film latter is lorccd outll l tin turn. :-i

wardly into engagement with the rotor by means of the coil spring 22 andlive steam delivered through the slide valve into the space between thehead of the valve and the radial face of the abutment. The expansion ofthis steam presses against the abutment and causes the rotor to revolve,the steam. after being utilized being exhausted through the ports 35into the chamber 34. By suitably operating the valves 27 through themedium of the operating rod33 the supply of steam to the slidevalves'can. be regulated and the s )eed and power of the motorcontrolled in the desired manner. In the present instance the rotor isshown as provided with three of the ahutments 7 while two of the'slidevalves '14 are mounted within the casing 1 upon opposite sides thereof,

such arrangement having the advantage of preventing the formation ofdead centers and enabling the motor to be started from any position ofrest.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is: i

1. In a rotaryen'gine, the combination of a casing, a rotor mountedwithin the casing, an abutment carried by the rotor, a slide valvemounted within the casing and provided with a head adapted to cooperatewith the abutment, the said slide "alve being formed with a passa e [orthe lluid n'iediun'i,and'

spring presscr packing members at the end and sidesol the head ol thevalve.

In a rotary engine, the combination of a casing provided with acylindrical chamber and also with, a valve chamber, a rotor mountedwithin the cylindrical chamber, an abutment tan'ried by the rotor, and acylindrical slide valvemounted within the 'valve chamber and providedwith a transversely -with the abutment upon the rotor, the said valvebeing l'ormed with a passage for the lluid medium.

3 In a rotary engine, the combination cl a casing provided with acylindrical chamber and also with a valve chamber, a rotor mountedwithin the cylindrical chamber, an abutment carried by the rotor, acylindrical slide. valve mounted within the valve cham her and providedat one end with a transversely disposed llattencd head adapted toproject. within the cylintl'ric-alchamber to co operate with theabutment upon the rotor and at its opposite end with a stem, the saidvalve being l'orincd witha passage lor the lluid pressure medium, and aplate. closing the valve chamber and cot'ipcrating with the stein toguide the valve in its movements.

l lo a I' lul' engine ol' the character dc- I scribed, th colnbinalhm ofa casing, a. rolol mounted within the casing, alnitliients car,- ried bythe rotor, slide valves mounted upon the casing for coopin'ating withthe abutdisk mounted upon the casing,

valves for controlling the aduid pressure to the slide valves,'a crankarms carried b the plug valves, means connecting the cran arms toeccentric portions of the disk, and means for operating the disk tocontrol the plug valves. 4

5. A rotary engine comprising a casing, 'a' rotor mounted within thecasing means for revolving the rotor, and concentric packing rin s atthe ends of the rotor, one of the pac ing rings being carried by thecasing and the opposite packing ring by the rotor.

6. In a rotary engine of the character dements, plu mission of mountedWithin the casing, a packing ring carried by the rotor and adapted toengage the casing, a second packing ring surrounding the first mentionedpacking ring and carried by the casing for engaging the rotor, an' and aslide valve abutment upon. the rotor, cooperating with the abutment.

Intestimony whereof I aflix my signatur in presence of two Witnesses.

' JOHN K. GERRIGH. [L. s.] Witnesses JULIUS W. FISCHER,

HARRY L. MILLER.

